Relationships

How to Break Up with Someone

Falling in love is great. Falling out of love? Not so much – especially because falling out of love with someone means eventually you’ll have to break up with him or her. There are right and wrong ways to do that. A Post-it, text message, or voicemail is absolutely unacceptable. Read on for our tips on how to dump someone with minimal drama.

Find someplace private. You may be tempted to break up with someone in a public place so the other person doesn’t make a scene. Not only is this rude, but it’s also selfish – you just don’t want to deal with someone else’s reaction. Your best bet is to pick somewhere private, so your soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend doesn’t end up with mascara running down her face at a crowded restaurant.

Be honest, but tactful. This is a fine line you must walk. If you’re breaking up with someone because you’ve lost the spark in your relationship, saying that point-blank could hurt that person a lot. If you’re leaving your current relationship for one with another person, be honest about it. Your ex will find out anyway, and lying about it will only cause pain.

Plan ahead. Breaking up with someone is a hard, messy thing. That’s why you should think about what you’re going to say ahead of time. We’re not saying you should write a script, but planning out what you’re going to say in advance will help you be calm and rational. And if you’re calm and rational, you’re way less likely to have a public screaming match.

Make a clean break. A clean break is absolutely necessary for both of you to move on. Call it closure or whatever you want, but if you break up with someone you better be sure that you don’t want to be with that person. That means you should cut off all communication – even if it’s just temporary.

Keep it off Facebook. Airing your dirty laundry in public is in poor taste. No matter how messy your breakup was, refrain from complaining about it on the Internet. You’ll regret it later, so stop being passive-aggressive and vent to a friend instead. You’ll feel better.

Be understanding. This is last because it’s the most important. No matter what happens, understand that your ex is going to lash out at you. It’s very likely that he or she will say things that hurt you. But just this one time, you have to give them a pass – they’re not in their right minds.

Breaking up is one of the hardest things you can do. But that doesn’t mean you can’t try and do it right.

Falling in love is great. Falling out of love? Not so much – especially because falling out of love with someone means eventually you’ll have to break up with him or her. There are right and wrong ways to do that. A Post-it, text message, or voicemail is absolutely unacceptable. Read on for our tips on how to dump someone with minimal drama.

Find someplace private. You may be tempted to break up with someone in a public place so the other person doesn’t make a scene. Not only is this rude, but it’s also selfish – you just don’t want to deal with someone else’s reaction. Your best bet is to pick somewhere private, so your soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend doesn’t end up with mascara running down her face at a crowded restaurant.

Be honest, but tactful. This is a fine line you must walk. If you’re breaking up with someone because you’ve lost the spark in your relationship, saying that point-blank could hurt that person a lot. If you’re leaving your current relationship for one with another person, be honest about it. Your ex will find out anyway, and lying about it will only cause pain.

Plan ahead. Breaking up with someone is a hard, messy thing. That’s why you should think about what you’re going to say ahead of time. We’re not saying you should write a script, but planning out what you’re going to say in advance will help you be calm and rational. And if you’re calm and rational, you’re way less likely to have a public screaming match.

Make a clean break. A clean break is absolutely necessary for both of you to move on. Call it closure or whatever you want, but if you break up with someone you better be sure that you don’t want to be with that person. That means you should cut off all communication – even if it’s just temporary.

Keep it off Facebook. Airing your dirty laundry in public is in poor taste. No matter how messy your breakup was, refrain from complaining about it on the Internet. You’ll regret it later, so stop being passive-aggressive and vent to a friend instead. You’ll feel better.

Be understanding. This is last because it’s the most important. No matter what happens, understand that your ex is going to lash out at you. It’s very likely that he or she will say things that hurt you. But just this one time, you have to give them a pass – they’re not in their right minds.

Breaking up is one of the hardest things you can do. But that doesn’t mean you can’t try and do it right.